679 
NARRATIVE AND ITINERARY OF THE AUSTRALIAN 
MERTING. 
PRELIMINARY ARRANGEMENTS. 
The Australian Invitation.—The possibility of a British Association 
Meeting in Australia was discussed there as early as 1884, and again in 
later years, but the time was not yet ripe. The question was once more 
raised, however, early in 1909, when Sir Charles Lucas, late of the 
Colonial Office, was visiting Australia; and it was brought forward 
publicly on May 3, 1909, at a meeting of the Council of the University 
of Melbourne, by Dr. J. W. Barrett. As a result of his motion a 
committee was appointed in that University to formulate a scheme and 
take all necessary preliminary action. This committee, of which the 
President-elect of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of 
Science (Professor Orme Masson) was Chairman, sought and obtained 
the cordial approval of its proposals by the other Australian universities 
and the leading scientific societies, and local committees were formed to 
co-operate with it in Sydney, Adelaide, and other centres. It was 
decided that the Commonwealth Government should be asked to 
father the invitation to the British Association and to grant a sum of 
£10,000 towards defraying the overseas expenses of the visit, that the 
State Governments should be asked to give free passes over their rail- ° 
ways, and that hospitality and other expenses should be guaranteed by 
local authorities and the general public. It was further decided that the 
invitation should be given for 1913 or 1914, and that, following the 
example of the South African Meeting in 1905, the Association should 
not confine itself to one centre, but should visit each of the States in 
turn. 
Professor J. W. Gregory, who was visiting Melbourne, was 
informed of the Committee’s proposals, and was thus enabled a few 
weeks later to bring the project under the notice of the General Com- 
mittee of the Association at the Meeting in Winnipeg (1909), where it 
was informally discussed with encouraging results. 
On December 16, 1909, a deputation, representing all the Australian 
bodies interested, waited on the Prime Minister, Mr. Alfred Deakin, 
who expressed cordial approval of the scheme, and promised to give it 
strong support. When, shortly afterwards, there was a change of 
Government, Mr. Andrew Fisher, who succeeded Mr. Deakin as Prime 
Minister, took the matter up with equal cordiality, and under his 
administration the proposals received the sanction of the Commonwealth 
Parliament. The State Governments were also approached, and 
promised their support, especially in the matter of the free use of the 
railways. Finally instructions were given by the Prime Minister to 
Sir George Reid, High Commissioner for Australia, and Professor Orme 
Masson to convey the invitation from Australia to the Association, and 
